Okay, newest Ranger Pascal Dupuis isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t as loose a cannon as Sean Avery, but the 27-year-old forward comes to New York with his own brand of baggage.

Here is how John Dellapina of the Ã¢â‚¬Å“Daily NewsÃ¢â‚¬Â describes Dupuis run-in with Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“He [Dupuis] had fallen out of favor in Minnesota ever since a December practice during which an angry coach Jacques Lemaire barked at his team: Ã¢â‚¬ËœIf you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t want to practice, leave!Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Dupuis actually left the ice and the speedy penalty-killer and one-time 20-goal scorer had been on the fourth line ever since.Ã¢â‚¬Â

In his defense, Dupuis has offered a different take on the situation in his discussions with the RangersÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ beat reporters.Ã‚Â Here is DupuisÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ version as written by Steve Zipay of Ã¢â‚¬Å“NewsdayÃ¢â‚¬Â a couple of days after the trade.

“We came back from the road from a seven-day road trip and I was sick on the road, getting IVs before the games and stuff. I lost seven pounds on the trip, ” said Dupuis, 27. “We flew in at night and played home the next day [Dec. 19], and 10 minutes into the morning skate, Jacques [Lemaire, the coach] said, ‘The guys that’s had enough right now, you can take off, or just stay and we’ll have a good practice and leave at the end.’ So I was sick and figured I’d keep my energy for that night, so I left. Obviously, the media didn’t take it like that. But it was no big deal in the room. Jacques didn’t mention anything about that. Three guys left: me, Wes Walz and Brian Rolston.”

While Dupuis downplayed the incident, the Unrestricted Free Agent still found his way from his coachÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s chateau bow-wow to the trading block.

Despite the potential to add a few more gray hairs to coach Tom Renney, Dupuis brings a solid two-way mentality to the table as President/GM Glen Sather shuffles around his role players. In acquiring Dupuis and Avery for Jason Ward and Adam Hall, Sather has added some much needed grit and tenacity in Avery and some much needed defensive responsibility in Dupuis.

Dupuis is 6-foot-0 and weighs 199 pounds and can play both wings. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Wild and has played all 334 NHL games with Minnesota (67 goals and 74 assists). His best season came in 2002/2003 when he scored 20 goals and added 28 assists. In 48 games this season, Dupuis has 10 goals (2 of them shorthanded) and 3 assists. He missed 7 games earlier in the season with a sprained left knee.

While Sather has not been able to solve the Rangers two biggest needs Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a solid second-line center and a quarterback for the power play Ã¢â‚¬â€œ he has done a good job in improving the overall roster without disrupting his every day lineup and without trading away one of the teamÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s elite prospects.

Here is TSN.CAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Scouting Report on Pascal Dupuis:

Assets

Plays the game with tremendous energy and combativeness. Is versatile enough to play any forward position or any role required. Still owns offensive upside.

Flaws

Needs to bury more of his chances around the goal area in order to take his game to another level. Is too inconsistent in the NHL.

Career potential

Third line winger.

For good measure, here is TSN.CAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Scouting Report on Sean Avery:

Assets

Always displays all-out hustle and is a tireless forechecker. Can bang bodies with the best of them and also create offense. Is an underrated producer.

Flaws

May wear down if he plays too much against much stronger opponents. Is still a little too prone to taking bad penalties, though he’s improving in that area.